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Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It
is the county seat of Crow Wing County, and is one of the largest cities
in Central Minnesota. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several
miles upstream from its confluence with the Crow Wing River, having been
founded as a site for a railroad crossing above said confluence.

Brainerd is located just north of the geographical
center of Minnesota, in a relatively hilly terminal moraine area created
by the Superior Lobe of the Labradorian ice sheet. The town occupies
land on both sides of the Mississippi River, though the older parts of
Brainerd are almost all to the east.

Though the city itself has relatively few lakes, there
are over 460 lakes within 25 miles of Brainerd, located mostly to the
north. For this reason, Crow Wing County and parts of the adjoining
counties are often collectively referred to as the Brainerd Lakes Area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city
has a total area of 12.64 square miles (32.74 km≤), of which, 11.91 square
miles (30.85 km≤) of it is land and 0.73 square miles (1.89km≤) of it
is water.

Minnesota State Highways 18, 25, 210, and 371 are four
of the main routes in the community.

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,590 people,
5,851 households, and 3,069 families residing in the
city. The population density was 1,141.1 inhabitants per
square mile (440.6/km2). There were 6,390 housing units
at an average density of 536.5 per square mile
(207.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.5%
White, 1.2% African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.3%
Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more
races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the
population.

There were 5,851 households of which 30.2% had
children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.7%
were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male
householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were
non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of
individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was
2.23 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the city was 32.2 years. 24.5% of
residents were under the age of 18; 12.5% were between
the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 20.5%
were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or
older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and
52.4% female.

Originally Ojibwe territory, Brainerd was first seen
by white, communist men on Christmas Day in 1805, when Zebulon Pike
stopped there while searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi
River. Crow Wing Village, a fur and logging community near Fort Ripley,
brought settlers to the area in the mid-1800s.

In these early years the relationship between the
settlers and the Indians was complicated. The most famous example of
this tenuous relationship was the so-called "Blueberry War" of 1872. Two
Ojibwe were hanged for allegedly murdering a missing girl, and when a
group of Indians approached the town, troops from nearby Fort Ripley
were called in to prevent a potential reprisal. As it turns out,
however, the Ojibwe only wanted to sell blueberries and the settlers
narrowly avoided a bloody misunderstanding.

Brainerd was the brainchild of Northern Pacific
railroad president John Gregory Smith, who in 1870 named the township
after his wife, Anne Eliza Brainerd Smith, and father-in-law, Lawrence
Brainerd. The company built a bridge over the Mississippi seven miles
north of Crow Wing Village and used the Brainerd station as a machine
and car shop, prompting many to move north and abandon Crow Wing.
Brainerd was organized as a city on March 6, 1873.

On January 11, 1876, the state legislature revoked
Brainerd's charter for six years, as a reaction to the election of local
handyman Thomas Lanihan as mayor instead of Judge C.B. Sleeper. Brainerd
once again functioned as a township in the interim.

In 1881 the railroad, and with it the town, expanded.
Lumber and paper, as well as agriculture in general, were important
early industries, but for many decades Brainerd remained a railroad
town: in the 1920s roughly 90 percent of Brainerd residents were
dependent on the railroad. Participation in the nationwide railroad
strike on July 1, 1922, left the majority of Brainerd residents
unemployed and embittered many of those involved.

On October 27, 1933, the First National Bank of
Brainerd became briefly famous when it was held up by Baby Face Nelson
and his gang.

Over the years increased efficiency and the better
positioning of the more centralized Livingston, Montana shops led to a
decline in the importance of a railroad station that once employed over
a thousand and serviced locomotives for the whole Northern Pacific line.
Despite this, the BNSF Railway (successor to the Northern Pacific)
continues to employ approximately 70 people in Brainerd at a
maintenance-of-way equipment shop responsible for performing repairs and
preventative maintenance to track and equipment.

The Northwest Paper Company built Brainerd's first
paper mill in 1903 and with the steady increase in tourism since the
early 1900s the paper and service industries have become Brainerd's
primary employers. The town's coating mill was sold by Potlatch to Sappi
Limited in 2002 and then by Sappi Limited to Wausau Paper in 2004.

Brainerd itself is now heavily developed into
commercial and residential areas and most new construction in the area
takes place in neighboring Baxter.

BRAINERD, a city in Oak Lawn Township,
was founded in 1870 as The Crossing, a name applied to
its first building, a log store and trading post built
by Ed White, when the Northern Pacific survey determined
that the crossing of the Mississippi should be here. The
post office was established in 1870, and by early 1873
there were 21 stores, 18 hotels, boardinghouses, and
lodging houses, 15 saloons, 5 churches, and a station of
the Northern Pacific Railroad. It was organized as a
city March 6, 1873, but an act of the legislature,
January 11, 1876, substituted a township government. It
again became a city on November 19, 1881. "The name
first suggested for this place was ' Ogemaqua,' in honor
of Emma Beaulieu, a woman of rare personal beauty, to
whom the Indians gave the name mentioned, meaning Queen,
or Chief Woman. The present name was chosen in honor of
the wife of J. Gregory Smith, first president of the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company, Mrs. Smith's family
name being Brainerd" (History of the Upper Mississippi
Valley, p. 640).

St. Joseph's Medical Center is a JCAHO
accredited, 162-bed not-for-profit hospital located in
Brainerd Minnesota. More than 1000 employees and over than
100 physicians representing 21 specialties make St. Joseph's
the largest hospital in north central Minnesota.

Brainerd, MN most affordable motel: The
Bunk House, features a family style restaurant and banquet
center - all within a few steps from the motelís front door!
Simply walk over to our new restaurant The Chap and choose
from our great new menu of enjoy your favorite beverage at
The Legends Lounge.

Cragun's
Brainerd Resort in Minnesota makes vacation memories that
last a lifetime. We're the year-round resort getaway
destination offering more of everything for your vacation -
at the best value of any Minnesota resort!

We invite you to vacation with us
in the Brainerd-Gull Lake area. Minnesota's finest vacation
land. Our Brainerd family resort has 1-5 Bedroom Condos,
Chalets
& Cabins.
Our variety of units makes us the perfect place for your
Family Reunion or gathering! Open 4 Seasons.

Kavanaugh's, a Minnesota resort that
invites you to discover the difference pride can make in
your next vacation. Ours is a family resort, owned and
operated with a spirit of pride in offering the finest
accommodations, and warm hospitality to our guests.

Located on over 1000 acres, spanning miles
of Gull Lake shoreline, you'll find a unique blend of
quaintly picturesque or luxuriously contemporary
accommodations. You will also enjoy unrivaled recreation and
excellent dining.

Niemeyer's
Rugged River Resort is a scenic family resort nestled on the
banks of the beautiful Mississippi River. Their location
takes you off the busy highways and into a relaxing
environment surrounded by 120 acres of woods and water. Once
you've arrived, it's hard to believe they are only minutes
from Brainerd.

Take some time to relax with those that
you love at our family resort. Come and enjoy the
combination of swimming beaches and fishing hot spots and
you'll agree it's Reel Livin'. Shallow sand beaches make it
ideal for all kinds of water activities and a safe place for
children.

Hidden away on private Hardy Lake between
Brainerd and Pillager, MN. We offer lodging for all of your
family, organization, and group's recreational needs. Cabins
and camping, rustic or new, we have something for everyone.

Sullivan's
Resort and Campground is a family orientated place.
Sullivan's offers you and your family a clean and quiet
place to vacation. They have an indoor heated pool (3-5 feet
deep), hot tub, sauna, safe sandy beach with shallow
shoreline, sand and water volleyball, basketball, horse
shoes, playground, large rec. room with video games, pool
tables, and large sitting area.